Lucas POV
“Do you want to join me?”
The words hung in the air, reckless and raw, like I’d just tossed a match into dry grass. I hadn’t meant to say it—not out loud, not like that. But the sight of Avela perched on the edge of my bed, drowning in my shirt, her bare shoulder catching the morning light… it short-circuited every rational thought in my head.
Her eyes widened, just a fraction. A flush crept up her neck, painting her cheeks a soft pink. She opened her mouth, then closed it, like she was searching for words and coming up empty.
I should’ve taken it back. Laughed it off. Blamed the adrenaline still buzzing from Isabella’s ambush. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Because the idea of her in that shower with me—water sluicing over her skin, steam curling around us, her body pressed ag
